Ten Steps to Disaster

2021
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 2 episodes (8)

1 Surfside Condo Collapse
3/26/23
June 24, 2021. In the middle of the night, the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Miami collapsed, killing 98 people. As the nation watched rescue and recovery efforts play out, questions immediately surfaced: How could a building that had stood for over 40 years simply fall to the ground? Through investigative reports and expert insights, we reveal ten fatal mistakes that led to disaster, including code violations, inadequate storm defenses, ignored warnings, and the worst contaminant for concrete: saltwater.
2 Texas Blackout
4/2/23
February 2021. Texas is brought to its knees by back-to-back winter storms. A polar freeze grips the state for days and more than four million homes lose power, leading to hundreds of deaths. How could a state that prides itself on energy and electricity, let this happen? Now, through expert analysis and in-depth investigation, we reveal ten critical errors and failings that contributed to the catastrophic blackout, including frozen power plants, an isolated grid, no back-up plan, and ignored warning signs from another winter storm in 2011.
3 Iranian Hostage Crisis
4/9/23
November 4, 1979. Iranian students invade the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage and triggering a crisis that will last 444 days. How did our nation's leaders let this happen, and what took them so long to bring the hostages home? Insights from political historians and from those who were there breakdown ten key mistakes the United States made in dealing with Iran, including an ignorance of anti-U.S. sentiment, multiple security errors, and a complex rescue mission that left no room for error.
4 Boston Marathon Bombing
4/16/23
April 15, 2013. Two explosions rock the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring over 260. The blasts are immediately identified as a terrorist act, but many questions remain. Who planted the bombs? Why did they do it? And most pressing of all: how did they pull off an attack at one of America's most celebrated events undetected? Through in-depth analysis and expert testimony, we list the missed opportunities, security failures, and other errors that allowed the devastating events to unfold before, during, and after the bombing.
5 Mount St. Helens
4/23/23
May 18, 1980. Washington state's Mount St. Helens erupts, obliterating 200 homes, 230 square miles of roads and wilderness, and claiming nearly 60 lives. Since 1978, scientists had warned that the volcano was overdue for an eruption, so how did it catch everyone by surprise? Through expert testimony from geologists, local reporters, and residents, we revisit the most destructive volcanic event in U.S. history and reveal ten failures that escalated the catastrophe, including ignored warnings, inadequate safety zones, and poor rescue planning.
6 The Opioid Crisis
4/30/23
Since its release in 1996, OxyContin has helped fuel an epidemic of opioid addictions, claiming more American lives than the Vietnam War. How did one painkiller fuel America's worst-ever drug crisis? Through interviews with pharmaceutical experts, investigative journalists, and former Purdue Pharma employees, we reveal ten key steps behind the catastrophe, including greed-driven deceptions, multiple FDA failures, deadly over-prescribing, and a supply cutoff that caused overdose-related deaths across the U.S. to skyrocket.
7 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
5/7/23
March 11, 2011. Japan is rocked by the largest earthquake in its recorded history, and things are about to get much worse. Massive waves from a subsequent tsunami race toward the Fukushima Daiichi power plant at speeds of up to 500 MPH, flooding the site and leading to one of the worst nuclear disasters ever experienced. Tragically, the epic meltdown was entirely preventable. Join us as we list off ten key fatal mistakes in this manmade disaster, including poor sea defenses, ignored warnings, poor leadership, and a botched evacuation.
8 Waco Siege
5/14/23
February 1993. A federal raid on a religious group on the outskirts of Waco, Texas leaves ten people dead. It triggers a 51-day siege that ends with a further 76 deaths, including 25 children. In the wake of the tragedy, the question arises: Could the FBI and the ATF have brought a more peaceful resolution to the standoff? From the initial conceptualization of the raid to the gassing of the compound seven weeks later, we examine ten critical mistakes made by multiple agencies against the Branch Davidians and its leader David Koresh.

About this show

When a catastrophe occurs, the questions immediately arise. How did it happen? Who was responsible? And can it happen again? Often, the tragedy isn't triggered by a single cause but by a string of errors. This series investigates four of modern history's worst disasters-the JFK assassination, the 9/11 attack, the 737 Max crashes, and the Deepwater Horizon explosion-and reveals ten crucial mistakes behind each one. Weaving archive and interviews, we detail what went wrong and what steps have been taken to prevent similar events from reoccurring.

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